


How Peter and Harley Escaped Hell

by Jos_lynn



Category: Ancient Greek Religion & Lore, Iron Man (Movies), Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), Spider-Man - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Ancient Greek Religion & Lore Fusion, Harley doubts himself, Inspired by Orpheus and Eurydice (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore), It ends happy I promise, M/M, Persephone and Hades both show up, Peter kinda dies for a second, but he loves Peter more then anything, but not really, loki is genderfluid, they're both hopeless romantics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-28
Updated: 2020-05-28
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:15:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,275
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24429340
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jos_lynn/pseuds/Jos_lynn
Summary: Peter and Harley have to research the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice for their English class, but Harley has an amazing idea to make their project more interesting. Unfortunately, it doesn't work out quite the way he expected.
Relationships: Harley Keener & Peter Parker, Harley Keener & Tony Stark, Harley Keener/Peter Parker, Loki & Thor (Marvel), Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Comments: 4
Kudos: 62
Collections: Parkner Greek Mythology Collection





	How Peter and Harley Escaped Hell

**Author's Note:**

> I've never seen this type of story when it comes to Greek Mythology AU's so I hope it turned out well and that you enjoy it!

Peter and Harley were partnered up for their new English project about Greek Mythology where each pair was given a myth that they were to research and make some type of presentation to show the class in a week's time. The boys were given the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice which neither of them has ever heard of before. Their teacher, Miss. Ambrose, gave everyone the rest of the class period to work on their project however they wanted.

"Ok. Orpheus and Eurydice." Peter started as he got out a piece of paper to write down their ideas on.

"Right." Harley nodded as he had what Peter liked to call his 'thinking face' on. 

"That can't be too hard. I'm sure that there's tons of books on it." The younger boy started looking up articles about the myth on his phone while he waited for Harley to fully develop whatever idea he was thinking about before sharing.

"Yeah for sure, but you know what I was thinking?" Peter kept searching through the internet as he hummed to acknowledge that he was listening to him.

"Hmm?"

"What if we asked Thor about what he knows? He's from Norse mythology, so maybe he knows what's real and what's not in Greek mythology." Peter perked up at the idea finding it really interesting how if it worked their project would be the only one that would be the true story of their myth. 

"Would Ambrose accept that?" However he was skeptical about whether their project would be accepted if they told them that Thor told them the real story of the couple.

"Well the school knows that I live with the Avengers so why wouldn't she?" Harley shrugged as he waited for Peter's answer.

"Alright fine but if we get a bad grade I'm gonna fill your underwear drawer with glitter." Harley shivered at just the thought of glitter ending up in places that glitter should never be in and decided to never do anything that would piss the other boy off.

"Pete babe i swear everything is going to be fine." He reassured him as Peter just smirked at him. If Harley didn't know any better he would think that he would be happy to do that to him just for fun. "But please never do that."

"Don't piss me off then." Peter winked as the class came to an end and the two boys went off their separate ways.

After school ended both boys met up at Tony's most inconspicuous car that they borrowed this morning, so that they could make their way back to the tower. Most of the time they would just walk to school because the busy New York streets made driving a car more of an issue than anything else, but it was storming really bad that morning and neither of them wanted to walk.

They made it to the tower thirty minutes later and started heading up to their floor to put their bags away when Harley remembered their project idea.

"Fri can you take us to wherever Thor is please?" 

"Of course. He is currently in the common room eating the rest of our poptarts." Friday told them knowing what was bound to follow.

"Wait, the ones I hid?" Peter asked looking up at the camera that was in the corner of the elevator that Friday was able to 'see' them from.

"Yes."

"How did he find them?" He questioned while glancing back at Harley since only two other people beside him knew where he had those pop tarts hidden.

"It would appear that Harley left them out this morning before school." Friday informed the boy who quickly turned to glare at Harley. 

"Darlin I will buy you twenty boxes I'm so sorry." He pleaded, the threat of the glitter still fresh in his mind. He knew that Friday was doing this on purpose because he made a joke about her days ago that she obviously didn't appreciate.

"With your own money?" He questioned knowing that Harley didn't have any money and just wanted to see him either squirm to disagree or to find enough money.

"If that will make you happy then yes." He quickly agreed not yet thinking about how he was going to find the money legitimately.

"Alright. Brown sugar cinnamon. I don't accept anything else." He agreed just as the doors opened revealing Thor who was waiting for them on the couch.

"Man of spiders, Lad of iron, the ceiling told me you were on your way. How was school?" Both boys mumbled incoherently about their day when Peter looked at the empty box that sat on the table next to Thor. He noticed how upset the boy looked and smiled as he held out a poptart pack. "Young Peter I saved you the last poptart since I know these ones are your favorites."

"Thank you Thor! You're a godsend!" Peter cheered as he ripped out the packet and started shoving one of them into his mouth.

"Actually I am just a god." Thor told him confused on what he meant, but happy with his enthusiasm.

"Thor that's actually kinda what we wanted to talk to you about." Harley started as he watched his boyfriend inhale the food barely even taking a second to breathe.

"We have a school project on a greek myth and we were wondering if any of those myths were actually true." Peter continued ignoring the horrified look Harley was sending him.

The older boy shook his head as he turned back to the task at hand hoping that Thor would be able to help them. "And if you knew anything about them if they are."

"Ah, you are talking about what midgardians call the Greek gods yes?" Both boys get excited since this means that they are probably real. That fact alone made everything just that much more exciting and eye opening. "Yes they are very much real. They are the Olympians from the planet Olympus."

"Wait really? In the myths they are said to have lived at the top of Mount Olympus." Peter told Thor, practically shaking from the excitement. It never occurred to either boy that they would have come from a different planet despite the fact that that is exactly what happened with the Asgardians.

"Yes, but no. Their planet used to be much closer to Midgard and they would commonly frolick the grounds here and disappear back up the mountain since it was the highest point on your world that came close to touching theirs." Thor explained smiling as both boys began discussing possibilities with each other, but he just watched since he never really paid attention to the Olympians' history past that.

"Why is there no record of another planet being so close to ours then?" Harley questioned after about fifteen minutes of him and Peter throwing ideas out back and forth.

"I would love to help explain this to you but my brother was the one who excelled in the subject about the Olympians. He would be more helpful to you than I." The boys' faces dropped as they realized they wouldn't be getting answers to their questions quite yet.

"Loki? Is there any way we could talk to him?" Peter asked, giving Thor his best puppy dog eyes to try and convince him.

"Well he is free on Asgard now, so I suppose I could bring you there. However Son of Stark said I am to never bring you there without permission." The god explained to the boys watching as their faces dropped slightly before Harley smirked in Peter's direction.

"So if he says yes you'll take us?" Harley double checked as his smile got wider. Thor nodded feeling concerned for Stark who would undoubtedly have to deal with whatever that boy had planned. He shrugged as the boys ran off in search of Tony, more interested in the rest of the poptarts he had hidden beneath the blanket sitting behind him.

"Tony, can we please go to Asgard with Thor." Harley asked as they slid into the lab. 

Tony jumped in surprise, hitting his head off of the light that he brought down for more intense lighting, "What? No. Why?"

"It's for a school project about the greek gods, but he said Loki would be the one to ask." The older boy explained as he nudged Peter to get him ready to enact their plan.

"Loki?"

"Please Mr. Stark we need an A on this." Peter begged giving Tony the best puppy dog eyes he could. Everyone who knew the pair knew that Peter always got what he wanted when he brought out The eyes, even if Tony denies it.

"Why do you need Loki's help?" Tony asked as he tried to wrap his head around what was going on. Harley held back a laugh as the older man tried to avoid looking Peter in the face.

The younger boy purposefully repositioned himself so that Tony had to look him in the eyes. "Because we want to make it as authentic as possible."

"Please." Harley begged pulling out his version of puppy dog eyes which weren't as effective as Peter's but he knew how to charm parental figures when it was important.

"No you are not going to Asgard." Tony firmly told both of them. He quickly reconsidered when he saw how both of their faces dropped and they were obviously upset over his decision, "But we can set it up for loki to come here for a day or two ok?"

"Yes! Thank you Tony." Harley yelled as he jumped up and down in excitement, mainly over meeting Loki rather than anything else.

"Thank you Mr. Stark you're the best." Peter and Harley both jumped on Tony, hugging him as tightly as they could. He already looked as if he regretted agreeing to it.

"Shoo, I'll talk to Thor about it and he will hopefully be here tomorrow ok?" Both boys ran out of the room celebrating with each other talking excitedly.

The next day in their english class, their teacher Ms. Ambrose went around the room and talked through everyone's ideas with them. Both boys were nervous about what she would have to say when it was their turn.

"Hello boys. What are you guys planning on doing?" She asked unsure what to expect from the two of them. Throughout the year they have gone above and beyond her expectations and their work always went an unexpected way that kept the class fun and interesting. She had no doubt this project would be the same.

"We are going to make a PowerPoint presentation." Harley explained sending Peter a questioning look. She was caught off guard by the simple project that they chose, but nodded her head accepting the answer anyway. 

As she started to leave Peter spoke up again getting her attention, "We were actually planning on learning the truth behind the myth from Thor. If that's alright?"

Ambrose thought for a second about the implications of that sentence before turning back to the boys with a bright smile, "That sounds like an amazing idea! Make sure you have some way to back up your claims."

They let out a sigh of relief that they wouldn't be wasting anyone's time just to have their project rejected. As the day went on they became more and more giddy with anticipation about Loki hopefully being in the tower by the time they got back. 

Peter and Harley raced their way back to the tower deciding that running would take less time then waiting for the subway. Harley regretted that decision greatly since he was out of breath and dying before they even made it back. "Hey Fri where's Mr. Stark?" 

"He is currently in his personal lab with Thor and Loki." Friday announced as they high-fived each other, "He has asked that the both of you meet them as soon as possible."

"Take us there please Fri." They could hardly contain their excitement as they waited for the elevator to take them to the 94th floor. 

"Boys. Glad you could make it." Tony smiled as he gave them each a quick hug. He turned back and they were able to see Loki for the first time in real life. Harley felt his jaw drop in shock because he was not expecting a gorgeous woman to be standing next to Thor. "Loki will be staying here for two nights so make your time count."

"Hi Ms. Loki?" Peter questioned unsure of how she would like to be referenced as. It was obvious that the younger boy also wasn't expecting Loki to have taken a female form, but they've been through weirder things.

"Hello child." Loki smiled, finding their shock to be amusing.

"Alright I'm leaving. Watch her Thor." Tony glared at Loki slightly, not feeling entirely comfortable leaving his kids alone with her, but he trusted the kids and Thor to be able to protect themselves if need be. Plus Friday was going to relay everything that happens at every moment to him.

"Gladly son of Stark you have nothing to worry about." Thor waved away Tony and as soon as the door was shut behind the man he pushed Loki forward slightly, "Take it away sister."

She glared at Thor which made both boys shudder because that look reminded them of when they managed to make MJ particularly angry. Loki faced the two and gave them a charming smile as she began to talk to them, "What is your project on."

"The myth of Orpheus and Eurydice."

"Ah a good choice, one of my favorites by any means." It was like a switch was hit because the goddesses face lit up showing her enthusiasm over the topic.

"Loki brought some books from back home for you to read!" Thor told them excitedly. He loved telling stories from and about Asgard, but until now he never had much to show from it. 

Loki picked up four giant books and set them carefully on the table that suddenly showed up in front of them. The boys gaped at the quick magic that was just performed, "Just be careful, some of them are charmed and only someone that can use magic is able to open them."

"What would happen if one of us opened them?" Harley asked moving closer to get a better look at them, but making sure to keep his hands away just to be safe. 

"Depends. Some might kill you instantly others might teleport you to other realms. It's hard to guess accurately which does what. I would suggest not touching one without permission." Harley jumped away from the books as Loki chuckled at his actions. When he turned to question if that was true or not Thor nodded his head with a solemn look, there was obviously a story behind that but they weren't too sure they wanted to know.

"Harley no touching." Peter smirked, winking at the older boy who glared at him in response.

"Right." Loki began as both boys settled down on the stools that they usually sat at while they worked. "What actually happened with Orpheus and Eurydice is quite similar to the myth you midgardians tell."

"What's different?" Peter questioned as he pulled out a notebook from his backpack.

"Orpheus was the son of the god Apollo who gifted the boy a lyre because he had a way with music. He could enchant anyone with just a few strings." Loki watched as Peter wrote down everything that he was saying in what looked like extreme details, making her smile at his eagerness. Harley on the other hand listened intently showing complete interest in the story. "Eurydice, on the other hand, was a beautiful forest Nymph who was charmed by Orphesus. Soon they fell in love with each other."

As Loki finished talking Thor held up the book and showed both boys the pictures of the couple. They were artist renditions of the two based on people who knew them personally. "They ended up marrying each other too." 

"Yes. They married, but the day of their wedding after Hymen, the god of marriage, wed them he warned them that their marriage wasn't going to be a long one. Neither took anything he said to heart. Instead they assumed that they could take on anything that came their way." She showed them a picture of them at their wedding and it was the most beautiful painting either of them has ever seen. Eurydice was dressed in a golden peplos and Orpheus wore a pure white chiton with golden details that matched his new wife perfectly.

"Why would they ignore a God's warning like that?" Peter and Harley shared confused looks with each other. To them it was obvious to follow the god of marriages warning.

"They were in love, children. I'm sure you could understand that." Loki explained as if it was obvious, but the more Harley thought about it the more he understood. In their situation he would have found another way but he would do anything to be with Peter for as long as he could even if it wasn't going to end well for him.

Thor and Loki shared knowing looks between each other as both boys came to the same conclusion on their own. "Anyway. Not long after they were married Eurydice was dancing with her sister nymphs when a venomous snake bit and killed her nearly instantly."

"How did they not know the snake was there? Most snakes warn people that get close in some way." Harley asked, having plenty of experience with snakes from when he lived in Rose Hill.

"Well. It wasn't an accident." Both boys gasped out loud not expecting for it to have been a ploy. They jumped as the door into the lab opened up behind them, but calmed down once they saw who it was.

"Sorry to interrupt, but both boys need to eat and do homework still and it's pretty late." Tony announced as he walked in making the two boys turn to the clock on the far wall to check the time.

"Woah when did it get so late." The four of them started talking around three-thirty - four but it was already nearing seven o'clock. That was around three hours of discussion that just flew by without them even noticing.

"Loki is also the goddess of storytelling. It's very easy to get sucked into what she's saying." Thor told them, looking extremely proud of his sister. 

She nodded her head at what Thor was saying as she bid farewell to the boys, "We will continue this tomorrow."

"But we were just getting to the good parts." Peter complained, waving goodbye to Loki as she walked past Tony who was glaring at her and out of the room. Tony turned his glare onto the boys who sat pouting on their stools.

"Fine." Harley grumbled as he gripped Peter's hand and pulled him out of the room. They spend the next hour or so eating dinner and finishing school work before they sat in front of the TV to watch a movie together. 

Halfway through Tony walked past them on his way to bed meaning no one was in the lab at the moment, giving Harley an idea. "Pete, lets just take a look at that book Loki was reading us earlier."

"But she told us not to." Peter was hesitant to agree because of the warnings that Loki explained to them really wasn't something that he wanted either of them to go through. There were too many unknown variables.

"She didn't do anything magical so that book must be safe, right?" Harley pointed out thinking about how when they saw Loki used her magic that there was a green mist that covered the table she moved. However there wasn't any mist over the book as she opened it, so it must not have been magical.

"I mean maybe?"

"Please Peter I really want to know what happens." Harley begged, grabbing a hold of Peter's hand as he brought out his puppy dog eyes.

"Ok fine but I swear to god." Peter groaned feeling as if he was going to regret this later, but at the moment he just focused on Harley's happy dance as he rushed them to the elevator.

As they walked into the lab they saw the book was left out exactly where it was when they last saw it. Peter hung back slightly as Harley rushed forward to open it. He hesitated slightly as he glanced back at Peter before he grabbed the cover and pulled it open. As the cover lifted everything went black around the boy and when Harley opened his eyes again he saw that he was standing in a small clearing surrounded by trees. He glanced around looking for Peter, but he couldn't see him which made him start to panic.

"Peter? Peter!" He started yelling which echoed through the forest around him and disturbed the birds in the trees. 

He began to walk towards the edge of the clearing about to make his way into the forest when he heard Peter yell from somewhere behind him. "Harley!"

He spun around and made his way through the trees as they kept yelling to each other in a weird game of Marco polo. Eventually Harley spotted Peter through the trees, but he hesitated as he got closer to his boyfriend.

"What in the hell are you wearing darlin? And what happened to your hair?" He asked as he noticed the white peplos that he was wearing and the fact that his hair was now black instead of light brown. 

"Me? What about you and why do you have a weird guitar?" Harley glanced down at himself and noticed the white chiton that now covered him and was able to see the black hair that replaced his usual blond. It was obvious that something was extremely wrong.

He surveyed the land around them again looking for any identifying marks that might tell him what was going on, but found nothing of use. Instead he turned his attention to the clothes and change of hair colour when it hit him. "No way."

"What?" 

"I think that book was magical." Harley started but he paused as he studied Peter and his new look. He felt like shit because this whole thing was all his fault.

"Harley what happened." The younger boy demanded looking on the verge of panicking which made him feel even worse.

Harley was always way better with imagery and recognizing things he's seen in pictures compared to Peter who could remember equations and documents nearly word for word, so it wasn't surprising when he figured out what happened before him. "I think we are Orpheus and Eurydice." 

"I'm going to kill you." Peter growled as he put the pieces together. The clothes, the hair, the obscenely beautiful forest that felt untouched by humanity. It all made sense. "Where are we in the story then?"

Harley pauses to think about what he knew from the beginning of the story, which admittedly wasn't much. He noticed a ring on his hand as he glanced for something to clue him in on their time frame and noticed one that looked like the compliment to his on Peter's figure which he pointed out to the other boy. "Sometime after the marriage, but before her, your, death." 

"Eurydice! Aren't you coming?" A woman yelled as she walked out of the forest. There was no doubt that Peter was Eurydice because the woman didn't even bother to look Harley's way despite him standing closer to her.

"For what?" Peter questioned as Harley reached behind him to grip his boyfriend's hand. He had a bad feeling that the story was about to be set in motion.

"To come dance with us." She giggled as she spun in a circle. Both boys watched her peplos flare out around her making her look enchanting. 

Harley turned to Peter knowing what is supposed to happen next in the story. "Don't go. You'll die."

"Harley I have to. I'm fighting against it right now but it's hard." He saw the tension and strain that rippled through the younger boy's body. It was obvious that they had no choice but to follow the main parts of the story.

"Peter." 

He leaned up and gave Harley a quick kiss on his lips before he quietly whispered to him as he began to walk away. "You can save me."

Harley watched as Peter followed the woman through the forest to what was undoubtedly going to lead to his death. He couldn't just let it happen without trying his hardest to stop it so he followed the two through the woods at enough of a distance so they wouldn't notice him trailing behind. They made it to a small clearing that had a stream that ran through the center of it and as soon as the other nymph saw Peter they began to cheer and dance with each other. 

One of them grabbed a hold of Peter and pulled him into a dance with her while her and the rest of the nymphs began to sing a song that they continued to move along to. Harley watched as he slowly started enjoying himself more and more, the music was relaxing and it was easy to lose yourself in it. He had to admit that watching Peter just let loose and dance with no worries made him even more attractive than Harley ever thought possible. 

He is brought back to the reality that they're in as he notices a man, about three feet away from the dancing nymphs, releasing a snake. The same snake that was going to kill Peter. 

Harley tried to get closer to the group that were clueless to what was about to happen, but it was as if an invisible wall kept him from advancing any further. He screamed and yelled trying to get anyone's attention, but no one heard him. It was as if he hadn't even spoken at all. He knew in that moment that there was nothing he could do except watch as Peter died.

The Nymphs began to freak out as Peter dropped to the ground with a snake bite on his foot. As soon as his body hit the forest floor Harley was able to get past whatever was previously holding him back. He threw himself to the ground and grabbed Peter's body as tears streamed down his face and the women ran away.

Harley didn't try to fight whatever force made them continue the story on the correct path as he grabbed the lyre that was strung on his back and began to play a song that he didn't recognize. He sung a melody that sounded like pain and a cry for help even through his own ears. He sat there for what felt like hours unwilling to leave Peter's body.

A woman appeared in front of him as he finally finished playing. They stared at each other for a few minutes as she seemed to evaluate Harley. He studied her back taking notice of her dark skin and curly black hair, the green dress that flowed to the ground, and the flowers that seemed to follow her as she moved around.

"Orpheus of Thrace you really loved him, yes?" The woman questioned as Harley noticed that there was a heavenly aura that surrounded the woman that stood before him. There was no doubt in his mind that she was a Goddess, the only question was who.

"He was the love of my life and will forever be." Harley assumed his words would have been based on Orpheus' feelings for Eurydice, but he found that he meant every word. "I will never properly be able to live again without him."

"Follow me into hell as I go back for the winter. It will not affect you like it would otherwise. Plead to Hades. Try to convince him." 

Harley knew then that he was talking to Persephone, but he didn't understand why a Goddess would get involved with his problems. "Why are you helping me?" 

"Love is beautiful and everyone deserves to be happy. I found my happiness with Hades and I believe he will give you a chance at yours if you can convince him." He didn't know what made him different from everyone else that lost someone in their life, but he wasn't going to argue with her.

"Okay let's go then." Harley carefully set Peter's body on the ground after giving him one last forehead kiss. He got up and jogged to catch up with Persephone as she began to walk away from him.

She didn't even bother glancing back as she began explaining to him what was going to happen. "I will go through and you will wait two minutes then follow. Time flows differently in hell. To him it will feel like two years already despite it being merely minutes."

By the time they finished speaking they were standing in a beautiful meadow filled with flowers that seemed to glow. She raised her hand and a portal shot up next to her that had black and gold detailing around the edges. He watched as she disappeared through the portal while he waited behind until roughly two minutes had passed, then he walked through after her. 

The temperature dropped by about 30 degrees as he stepped through the portal which caught him off guard. He had expected it to be hot like how hell is always depicted in the media, but it was exactly the opposite. 

Persephone was nowhere to be found instead he was standing alone on an old beaten path that only led forward. He took a deep breath and followed the path until he made it to a closed gate which was being guarded by a three headed dog which went onto high alert when it saw him. He stopped where he was suddenly terrified by the thought that Cerberus might decide to attack him. He remembered what Loki told him about Orpheus being able to enchant creatures so he pulled out his lyre and started playing whatever came into his mind and watched as Cerberus began to fall asleep.

As he walked through the now unguarded gates while still playing the lyre ghosts began to crowd around him. Once he was far enough away from Cerberus he stopped playing, but by that time he had ghosts surrounding him from all sides. Eventually the amount of them seemed to attract the attention of Hades and Persephone who appeared in front of him.

"What do you want, boy." Hades demanded as he stared Harley down as Persephone nodded and winked at him.

He looked down at the golden ring that sat on his ring finger remembering the dead stare that Peter wore the last time he saw him. "To bring my husband home."

"Why should I?" The God's voice rumbled through the underworld intimidating Harley. However he wouldn't let anyone stop him from at least trying.

"Because without him there's no reason to live." Hades watched him contemplating his answer as if he was an enigma that he couldn't understand. He turned and sent a questioning look towards his wife and waited before she nodded her head, coming to whatever decision together.

"I'll give you a chance on one condition." Hades began and Persephone sent him a comforting smile. She looked proud of Hades' decision as he continued to stare down at Harley. "He will follow you out the way you've come, but you musnt look back or talk to him before you reach the light of the over world."

"How will I know that he's actually behind me?" He asked, not wanting to let himself be tricked by the God of the dead. Hades nodded his head in understanding and snapped his fingers which made Peter's spirit appear in front of him.

"Taking my word is all you can do. He is ready to follow you." Harley looked between Peter's hopeful yet sad look to Persephone's determined and proud expression. He nodded and slowly turned back towards the gate where he took a calming breath before beginning his journey. He knew he was about five hundred feet away from the portal, but he was confident he could make it easily enough. 

Halfway to the portal however he realized that he couldn't hear Peter's footsteps walking behind him. He quickly began to doubt that Hades was being true to his word and he contemplated glancing behind him just to be sure, but he knew the conditions and he trusted Persephone. Admittedly that might not have been the smartest choice but he fought past the cloud of doubt that fell over his head and forced himself to think logically. No matter what he did he had no doubt he would be forced to leave the underworld, so he might as well go through with his side of Hades deal.

When he finally made it to the overworld he waited, faced away from the portal, praying to every god and goddess that he knew for Peter to be behind him. He let out a sigh as he heard nothing follow him through behind him.

"Harley." When he turned to face what sounded like Peter from behind him he watched as the younger boys' body seemed to build itself back up in front of his eyes. "You saved me." 

"Peter. Peter. You're ok." Harley pulled him into his arms for a kiss that tasted salty because of the tears that streamed down their faces.

The world went black once again, but they held on tight to each other not wanting to lose each other wherever they were going to end up next. When they opened their eyes they were still wrapped around each other, but this time they sat on the floor of Tony's lab.

"I gave you one rule. One rule and what did you do? The exact opposite." Loki announced in his male form making them jump at the unexpected noise. 

"We're back." Peter whispered as he threw himself back into Harley's body.

"Thank the gods." The older boy cried out unable to help himself. The three adults watched the teens as they cried together after going through something that must have been traumatic.

"What the fuck happened to you?" Tony resisted the urge to run up to the two and make sure that they're ok. It was obvious that they needed some time to just hold each other.

They stayed silent for a few minutes before Harley finally pulled back to answer Tony. "We were Orpheus and Eurydice."

"The spell on this book puts the person who opens the book into the story that they need to learn their lesson from the most." Loki explained as he picked the book back off the ground where it had fallen. 

Thor looked between the teens that were still on the floor wondering who learned the lesson. "Which one?"

Harley avoided the questioning eyes that the other four held. The adults because they weren't sure who opened it and Peter because he wasn't sure what lesson Harley needed to learn from what happened. "I opened it. I was Orpheus."

"You doubt yourself then." Loki stated remembering the underlying message that his mother told him about from that story. 

"Is that true?" He turned away from Peter's sad eyes instead he focused on the clock that told them they had only been gone for ten minutes despite it feeling like years have gone past.

"But you both made it back. That means you overcame your doubt." Thor announced sending a proud smile in their direction. 

Tony however was caught on the fact that Thor said they came back which meant there was a chance they wouldn't have. "What would have happened if he didnt?"

"They would have been stuck to live out the story for the rest of their lives." Loki began feeling sorry for the boys. He knew the story from bottom to top and knew the struggles that each boy must have gone through. "Peter would have been stuck in hell forever and Harley would allow beasts to rip him apart to try and reunite with him."

Tony decided that the boys had enough time together and rushed to them to gather them into a group hug. They just held each other for a few minutes before the older man pulled back to glare at Loki.

"Why was that book just left out in the open if it was so dangerous?" Loki glared right back not feeling threatened in the slightest.

"I assumed your children would have been smart enough to heed my warnings , but they didn't." The two of them began to argue as Thor tried to get them both to calm down. The boys however elected to ignore them and instead focused on each other.

"Harley. You have nothing to doubt." The older boy shook his head knowing he had nothing to doubt, but he couldn't help doubt everything about his current life. In his mind he didn't deserve what he had and that included Peter.

"I know. I love you and I'm so glad you're ok."

"I love you too." The two shared another kiss and when they pulled back Harley noticed that the golden rings from the wedding were still wrapped around their fingers. They shared a smile knowing that one day those rings would be put to good use.


End file.
